The Cursed Princess of Suryagarh: Book 1

38. End of an era

Adhyayan's eyes widened in horror when he saw how effortlessly the girl flung the relic into the fire. "No!" he screamed, his grip around the two men tightening more. However, something had already morphed inside of him, and he could feel his organs melting as flames lapped against his intestines.

As soon as the relic began burning, so did the immortal's body. His hold around Aarush and the mystery man's necks began loosening, and both of them were on their knees, gasping for breath, sighing in relief, and banging their fists on the hard ground below to get a hold over themselves.

Adhyayan took a step back and peered at his singeing and searing palms. A raucous shriek of fury and agony tore through his throat, permeating every air molecule and pervading through the stones, leading to the ripples beneath their feet and the shaking of all the buildings as the immortal realized how he was burning just like the artefact, crumbling to dust bit by bit, part by part. Starting with his hands, then his arms, his torso, his legs, and finally his head turned to ashes while the horror imprinted in his eyes provided immense satisfaction to those present around.

With a resounding crack echoing through the area, he was a pile of clay and dust at Aarush's feet.

Everything fell silent for a while. Radha sat up slowly to discern Adhyayan's remains pooled on the ground with a grimace on her ageing features as her hands went to her head to massage her temples and get rid of the ache. Jagdish's palms came together in supplication as he let out a breath of ease with his lips moving in prayer to the Almighty. Aarush and the mystery man were still on their knees, perspiring heavily and respiring rashly. Aryan and Adya exchanged furtive glances with one another, and Shreya gaped at the pile of dust that was once a human—an immortal. It somehow seemed like the end of an era.

Aryan moved ahead and clutched Shreya's wrist, breaking the utter silence. "You did it," he whispered.

Adya sniffled through her tears and beamed. "You did it, Shreya."

The mystery man looked up, and his feral gaze locked with Shreya's tender ones. With a nod of his head, conveying his gratitude, he got to his feet and scurried off without paying heed to anything else in the vicinity.

Adya was slightly puzzled. She had seen the mystery man in Sumedhnagar a couple of days ago, and she was terrified of the strange ferociousness in his countenance. But then he had saved Shreya from getting stabbed, and her hostility thawed a bit. However, she had never imagined she would find him in her very premises engaged in a tussle with her distant crazy uncle. "Who was he?"

Her voice brought Aarush out of the discomfort he was in. He wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead and glimpsed to his side. He could perceive the receding silhouette of the mystery man, and he got to his feet too, following him with as much agility as he could muster, disregarding Adya's question and Jagdish's hurried footsteps behind him.

The man with a mole on his cheeks scampered past Agni Bhawan's threshold, sprinting down the road, and reaching for his vehicle parked across the lane. Hearing the thudding and urgent footsteps behind him, he cursed under his breath, halted, and swerved only to find Aarush Chauhan's face red with rage a few feet away from him. "What?" he snapped.

"I had categorically told you," Aarush glared at the man, "that you are not allowed in Suryagarh."

The other man rolled his eyes and proceeded towards his car. Unlocking it, he turned again to see Aarush Chauhan still glowering at him while Jagdish Shastri was standing right behind the crowned prince. However, the priest's gentle gaze was directed at the mystery man. "Jagdish Kaka," he snorted, "ask your dearest prince to stop giving me orders. I don't take them anymore." Throwing the door open, he clambered inside the vehicle, shut the door with a clang, and drove off.